While most Americans are preparing to celebrate the Christmas holidays, a number of severely wounded soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan won't be joining in the holiday spirit.
That's because the nationwide foreclosure crisis has left them holding eviction and foreclosure notices on their homes!
You see, since spring we've been flooded with calls.
Wounded troops - many paralyzed, brain-damaged, burned or blinded - are asking for someone to help them save their homes and keep their families from being tossed out into the street.
"Ever since I got out of the hospital, I've been unable to work," said one wounded GI. "My wife can't work because she has to take care of me and the kids."
Another one told us, "Now, I'm holding a foreclosure notice on my home and I don't know what I am going to do."
By clicking here you can make a generous, tax-deductible Christmas donation to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
you can make a generous, tax-deductible Christmas donation to the Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund, sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. And by clicking here you can send a special Christmas THANK YOU and GET WELL card to a severely wounded young Marine, Soldier, Sailor or Airman. A greeting card with your name on it will be hand-delivered to a severely wounded hero who needs some cheering up. You can even type in a personal greeting if you like!
you can send a special Christmas THANK YOU and GET WELL card to a severely wounded young Marine, Soldier, Sailor or Airman. A greeting card with your name on it will be hand-delivered to a severely wounded hero who needs some cheering up. You can even type in a personal greeting if you like!
My name is General Chip Diehl (Ret.) and I'm writing to you on behalf of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. The Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded to help troops who have been severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.
So far, the Coalition has satisfied more than 10,985 requests for emergency financial aid and other assistance by sending severely wounded troops and their families more than $22 million.
But because of the sputtering economy and the ongoing home foreclosure crisis, calls for emergency aid have skyrocketed by 300 percent in the past few months.
Because of this surging need, we've just launched the Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund, an effort to raise $1 million to help as many wounded troops and their families as possible who are facing foreclosure or eviction.
Please click here to make a special Christmas tax-deductible donation to the Coalition's Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund. and to send your greeting card to a disabled hero.
Your greeting card and donation may be helping someone just like wounded serviceman Frank G., who told the Coalition:
"My wife and I discovered we couldn't make ends meet on the pension I was receiving.
"I sold personal belongings on E-bay and tried to find work. For the first time in my life, I had bill collectors calling me. I felt incredible shame and anger that I wasn't able to provide for my family, and I was afraid of losing everything I had worked for.
"The day I called CSAH was the best move I have made for my family. The Coalition has given us the chance to keep our home."
So far, the Coalition has been able to help every single wounded troop who has placed an emergency call to the Coalition.
But this latest surge has completely busted our budget.
We've had to cap our emergency aid grants for foreclosures at $25,000 a week.
That's all we can afford to send.
But for the past couple of months, we have been averaging $36,000 a week in emergency aid payouts!
So, you can see, we are facing a shortfall of $11,000 a week . . .
. . . just as the need has risen to historic levels.
The headline on a recent USA Today article caught my attention, and it may have caught yours as well.
"More U.S. troops battle foreclosure," it said. The article pointed out the home foreclosure rate near military bases is four times the national average! So I can only imagine the foreclosure rate among troops with disabling injuries.
A little extra help may be all many of these wounded heroes need to turn their financial situation around.
So please click here to make a generous, tax-deductible donation to the Coalition's Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund.
These wounded heroes have protected our freedom, our families and our homes. Now it's our turn to protect theirs.
With respect and gratitude,
Brigadier Gen. Arthur F. "Chip" Diehl III
U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
P.S. As I mentioned, because of the sputtering economy and the ongoing home foreclosure crisis, calls for emergency aid have skyrocketed by 300 percent in the past few months. Instead of enjoying the Christmas holiday with family and friends, a number of severely burned, blinded or paralyzed troops may be evicted from their homes unless they receive help quickly.
Hundreds of these servicemen and women are unable to work, and nearly half their spouses have been forced to quit their jobs and become full time caretakers for their injured spouse and kids.
Can you imagine how you'd pay your rent or mortgage under those circumstances?
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes has created a Wounded Troops Foreclosure Fund to help these families, and I hope I can count on your support!
Please click here to make an emergency Christmas donation.
And click here to send a special Christmas THANK YOU and GET WELL card to a severely wounded serviceman or woman.
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